StarChefs Announces 2018 Chicago Rising Stars Award Winners

Today StarChefs, the national restaurant industry magazine, announces its 2018 class of Chicago Rising Stars. This year, the StarChefs editorial team met with more than 125 chefs, pastry chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, and artisans in Chicago.

The 2018 class of Chicago Rising Stars will be celebrated at an awards ceremony and walk-around tasting next month at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The event is ticketed and open to the public. A portion of proceeds will benefit Pilot Light, a local nonprofit that helps children make healthier choices by connecting the lessons they learn in their classrooms to the foods they eat on their lunch trays, at home and in their communities.

The quarterly Rising Stars awards honor up-and-coming chefs and hospitality professionals who represent the vanguard of the contemporary American dining scene. Since 2003, StarChefs has held awards in 22 different cities and regions across the country, and will celebrate this 62nd class of Rising Stars in Chicago. The most recent Chicago Rising Stars Awards were held in 2015.

“Chicago has the most vibrant, stacked pastry community in America,” says Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs Editor-in-Chief and CEO. In other cities, fewer restaurants are investing in pastry talent, but professionals like Mindy Segal, Dana Cree, Meg Galus, Anna Posey, and Greg Mosko have created a space where pastry is as essential.”

“Chicago’s Mexican community has fully captured the hearts and imaginations of the city’s chef-driven restaurants,” says Caroline Hatchett, StarChefs Editor. “We drank mezcal and wines from Baja, and ate mole negro croissants. A regional Midwestern Mexican cuisine is evolving, and and a younger generation of Mexican-Americans has staked its claim on upscale dining.”

StarChefs Chicago Rising Stars Event Details

Where: Café Brauer at the Lincoln Park Zoo

When: Tuesday, June 12, 2018

5:45 VIP Reception | 6:30 Awards Ceremony | 7pm - 9:30pm Tasting Gala

Tickets: All-inclusive general admission tickets are $85. VIP tickets are $125 and include a private reception with Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte and Sterling Caviar . Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite .

2018 StarChefs Chicago Rising Stars Award Winners:

Chefs

Brian Ahern | Boeufhaus

Featured Dish: Cecci bean cavatelli, merguez, chickpeas, chicken jus, caciocavallo cheese

Pete Coenen | Land and Sea Dept.

Featured Dish: Beef tartare, guajillo chile emulsion, salsa verde, quail egg, gouda

Jimmy Papadopoulos | Bellemore

Featured Dish: Venison tartare, trumpet mushrooms, turnips, pickled pear, finger lime, shiso

Ryan Pfeiffer | Blackbird

Featured Dish: Lobster congee, smoked chestnut consommé, smoked trout roe, lime zest

Noah Sandoval | Oriole

Featured Dish: Butter-poached Alaskan king crab, black garlic aguachile, chicharron

Julie Warpinski | Big Star

Featured Dish: Tacos de yuba guisado: yuba, tomato-guajillo salsa, onions, cilantro

Community Chef Presented by Compass Group

Jonathan Zaragoza | Birrieria Zaragoza

Featured Dish: Tacos suaderos: braised beef belly, avocado, rajas con crema, escabeche

Pastry Chefs Presented By KitchenAid Commercial

Leigh Omilinsky | Nico Osteria

Featured Dish: Chocolate torta, pistachio, bergamot, lemon-cardamom gel, buckwheat gelato

Amanda Shepard | Lula Cafe

Featured Dish: Sticky toffee cake, butterscotch, matcha crumble, smoked dates, whipped cream

Emily Spurlin | Bad Hunter

Featured Dish: Chocolate-beet crémeux, raspberries, seeded crisp

Bartenders

Kevin Beary | Three Dots and a Dash

Featured Drink: Idle Hands: clarified banana rum, cane sugar, and lime 2.0

Kristina Magro | Prairie School

Featured Drink: Fresa Fizz: gin, Sherry, tomato water, strawberry, lemon, soda

Artisans

Charcutier Tony Fiasche | Tempesta Market

Featured Dish: Charcuterie board featuring Wagyu pastrami

Baker Alexander Roman | Somerset

Featured Dish: Assortment of artisan breads featuring negro mole croissant

Brewer Brian Taylor | Whiner Beer

Featured Beer: Le Tub sour saison

Concept Presented by Kikkoman USA¨ Inc.

Restaurateur Donna Lee | Brown Bag Seafood Co.

Featured Dish: Teriyaki-scallion salmon veggie box

Restaurateur Presented by M. Tucker

Michael Ciapciak | Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits

Featured Dish: Chicken pot pie

Sommeliers

Andrew Algren | Cherry Circle Room

Leslie Lamont | Leña Brava

Pairings with the winners' dishes

VIP Reception: Levy Restaurants Host Chefs

Executive Chef Nick Santangelo | Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap

Executive Chef John Hogan + Chef de Cuisine Cedric Harden | River Roast

Executive Chef Josh Peterson | Motor Bar and Restaurant at the Harley Davidson Museum

Executive Chefs Daniel Kelly + Rodolfo “Smokey” Mariano | Lincoln Park Zoo

Executive Chef Joe Flamm + Chef Partner Tony Mantuano | Spiaggia

Guest Bartender

Liz Pearce | Aba

Featured Drink: Espresso martini featuring Grey Goose vodka and Metric coffee

StarChefs will announce additional awards at the event, including the following:

● Art of Presentation Award , presented by Steelite

● Mentor Award , presented by Vitamix Commercial

● Game Changer Award ¨ presented by SÆPellegrino

● Best Dish Award , presented by Hestan Nanobond Cookware

PARTNERS

Grey Goose | Foods from Spain | Symrise | Steelite International | Compass Group

Mushroom Council | Hestan Culinary | S.Pellegrino | Vitamix Commercial

KitchenAid Commercial | Kikkoman | MTucker | Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte

Costières de Nîmes | Meyer Natural Angus Beef | Fresh Origins | Breville|Polyscience

Lone Mountain Wagyu | Rational USA | Pomì USA | Green Sapling | Rona |

Sterling Caviar | Minor's | Chateau d'Esclans | Verlasso | Shun Cutlery

LOCAL PARTNERS

Pilot Light | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Levy Restaurants | Tiger Lily Events

Cafe Brauer | SHOUT Marketing & Media Relations

MEDIA CONTACTS

Jeffrey Ward | SHOUT | 312.217.1969 | jeffrey@shoutchicago.com

Danielle Powell | StarChefs | 908.616.7056 | danielle@starchefsinc.com

About StarChefs

StarChefs has supported the restaurant industry since 1995 and serves as an essential

resource and platform for restaurant professionals, as well as a backstage pass for food-savvy

consumers. StarChefs’ original content is driven by in-person tastings and interviews across the

world, and its mission is to catalyze culinary professionals’ success and give them tools to

overcome specific challenges. Now in its 13th year, StarChefs hosts the annual International

Chefs Congress , an industry-only symposium featuring the world’s preeminent culinary talent.

Through its Rising Stars Awards and quarterly Rising Stars magazine, StarChefs has

recognized up-and-coming industry professionals in four markets each year since 2003.

StarChefs features top chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers, bartenders, and artisans in more than

35,000 published pages of original, industry-focused content, generates over 4 million page

views annually, and was nominated for “Best Web Site” by the James Beard Foundation. The

site also connects hospitality professionals to careers in foodservice through its online platform,

StarChefs JobFinder . Connect with StarChefs on Instagram , Twitter ,and Facebook .